Letters: parliament has a responsibility to stop Brexit

Parliament’s responsibility

Sir: I always enjoy reading the intelligent and outspoken Lionel Shriver. But her latest article (14 September) puts forward an invalid argument. As Ms Shriver points out, no one in the USA seriously argued that the disaster of Trump’s election, and the damage it could cause the country, meant the result should be contested. She compares this with the fact that many in the UK want to overturn the EU referendum result; and concludes from this that our political system is ‘broken’.

But had an election been fought here, with one party promising Leave and the other Remain, few would be seriously arguing for the overturn of the outcome — whatever it was. Elections are, rightly I believe, taken more seriously than referendums. We are governed by parliamentary democracy, not referendums. Parliamentary sovereignty makes parliament the supreme authority. If the political scenario changes greatly — as it certainly has since the comparatively halcyon days of the referendum campaign (we thought that was ill-tempered, irrational and mendacious?) — then parliament has every right to cancel the whole thing.

Parliament has, in fact, a responsibility not to take our country down a path that is more likely than not to lead to grave self-harm, on the basis of a referendum result — especially when one bears in mind the most-googled question the day after that result: ‘What is the EU?’
Vuyelwa Carlin

Craven Arms, Shropshire

Insights into homelessness

Sir: The tone of Adam Holloway’s article reminds me of the Victorian age with his constant use of the archaic word ‘beggar’ and his references to the social conditions of homeless drug addicts and alcoholics (‘Wake-up call’, 31 August). He does not mention their medical needs. I was homeless last year and gained new insights into this problem.